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Plot / Lore
The Legend of Legacy isn't your typical jRPG, due to the very barebones plotline given to you. In truth though, there's definitely a great deal of background lore swimming around in the game, which can be found when you inspect the various Singing Stones found throughout the maps. When inspected, a Stone will speak to you in poetic verse, giving you insight into the game's setting and plot. If anything, it feels a lot like Dark Souls, in which the lore was fed to you through item descriptions found within the game. This page is here to provide that plot and lore of the Island of Avalon, to show that there definitely is an underlying story to be had... Many thanks to Kowashitai on The Legend of Legacy message boards on GameFAQs for compiling all the shard text! The Avalonian Civil War “Recall the strife: the King Who Is, settled on his cloud, did battle with the Queen Who Was, deposed now, yet proud. So too did the elementals fight, and so too the sky did roar, the earth did shake, did quake, in the time of that uncivil war. It is the wish of the Queen Who Was that heirs and spirits live united. I leave to thee this whisper of the elementals and the unrequited. Our Queen doth sing, the elementals she doth bless, and those, in turn, born on land, shall, by elementals, soon progress. Gone now is the Queen Who Was, and gone her loyal Patriarchs, and gone are we who bear not love for the new monarch. Split in twain, the two sides did fight, and entangled the elementals were, caught amidst the strife. Our strife doth continue, wounded we may be, and this land too is wounded, it retreats beneath the sea. Higher than the waterfall, higher than the mountain stones, higher than all else doth soar the acropolis of our bones. Should we fall, should we falter, become as wind, become as water, become one among mountain stones. When the strife did then subside, the sea laid claim to earthly shelf. The Queen Who Was did elect Patriarchs three, and gaveth unto them all that remained of herself. At the end of the strife, intended we the sea to swallow all, the friend, and the foe, the spirit, and the doll. Yet by his might and yet by his will, the King, our foe, held his ground upon that aged hill. And the Queen Who Was did fall, to the land that lay below, and sang her there, among us all, a song of heartful woe. Yet the King Who Is did reign, even as engorged by the sea, and he sang there, among them all, the promised prophecy. And then the Queen Who Was bade that we accept our light shall fade, yet it remaineth our highest mirth, to join as one with this earth, a proof of life lived and debt paid. The King Who Is, surveying he the old, did set to work upon a Perch, for immortality, we were told. The “Graal” it was named, calling servants unto the portal, blessing each of us in turn, and making each of us immortal." '' '''Summary: '''From this set of verses from the Singing Stones, you can see that there was once a Civil War on Avalon between the Queen Who Was and the King Who Is. The Queen Who Was, a person later known as Lilith, was a benevolent ruler. She wished that her descendants and the elementals would live in harmony together, and looking deeper into things, it could be that the people "born on land" could have been the Elementalists, as it says that they "shall, by elementals, soon progress." This could also mean that Meurs and the King of Adventurers could very well be descendants of the subjects of Lilith. It would seem that there is no love from the Elementalists for the King Who Is, the one later revealed to be Amelius. The Civil War of Avalon involved both mortal and elemental alike, and it wounded the land so terribly that it sunk beneath the ocean. The only remaining bastion of the survivors was the "acropolis of our bones", more than likely the City of the Unseen at the top of the Spiritfall, the place at which Amelius now rules from. It would also appear that Lilith had appointed three Patriarchs, perhaps the best of the Elementalists who served her, and as she was dying, gave her essence to them. Perhaps these three Patriarchs live on as elementals within the three Singing Stones which bestow the Singing Shards of Water, Air, and Fire upon your party. This could make sense, especially with Meurs's story, as he is called to Avalon by the song of the elementals. Could it be that the three Patriarchs, living on through the Singing Stones, are calling to him to avenge Lilith by desposing of Amelius, the one who usurped her? With Amelius victorious over Lilith, he seemingly went on to study the work of his forebearers, and in doing so, discovered a way to let himself live with the gift of immortality. The method he found was to make an object known as the Star Graal. Those who served Amelius were beckoned to the Star Graal, receiving the gift of immortality, but at what cost? These servants are the God-People, who now live in the City of the Unseen... The Elementalists '' "Thou art our link to the elementals. Thou art our master. We shall be gone, yet thou must remain here longer. To our children, inheritors of this land, please pass on our memories. Thou art our link to the elementals. Thou art our king. I sing for the one who shall inherit the song of the King. I forgive thy fate for the waking curse that thou shalt bring. Ones born of magic, thy world bordering on shambles, seekest thou refuge here, live amongst the elementals. Thou who speakest with elementals, we shall be at thy side. Once we protected this city. Now we protect thee. Even should this city fall, even should we fall… Thou who speakest with elementals, we shall be at thy side forever. Oh, homeland lost, for all must meet due ends, to the sea forevermore, pray we now to make amends. We ask thou to forgive our Queen. We ask thou to forgive our friends. Beast shall soon fall, birds’ wings shall soon rust, plants shall soon wither and return they unto dust. ...Yet we shall not fall, nor shall we rust, and we shall not wither nor return we to the dust. Yet when is our return? When is it just? One of honor shall read this in a day long, long hence, revive us, he shall; desiring he the power of the servants. Until then, we shall protect, until he doth summon us hence. The immortal ones are revived, already meeting once their end, and will meet another nevermore, for they cannot die again. Yet gone is their will and now their knee is bent.” Summary: The God-People are further given a nod that they were the original Elementalists, cursed with the immortality provided to them by the Star Graal, who are destined to be brought to death once the Star Graal is destroyed. Living in the City of the Unseen as a refuge, these Elementalists live among the elementals. The elementals ask for forgiveness for Lilith and the Elementalists who fell in trying to stop Amelius. All life is meant to end, but the Elementalists who sided with Amelius are now immortal and lament being unable to die, pondering when they can be free of their state of undeath. There seems to be a prophecy here in which the lost Elementalists shall be revived by an honorable one. Until then, they have no will, being controlled by the will of their new king, Amelius. Looking deeper into this, the Elementalists who turned into the immortal God-People are in fact the same Shadow Giants who lurk upon the lands of Avalon in the darkness of the night. This is further proved when you speak to the God-People in the City of the Unseen, as when you choose to fight them, they turn into the Shadow Giants they are cursed to live as. Queen Lilith, the Queen Who Was “Oh, waters, sing thou of the glory of Our Queen. With her did we descend. Wise were her forebears. Powerful were our allies, thou spirits, thou elementals, who didst shape and didst attend. Sing of love, oh wind, sing of Lilith and assemble, descended she from kings, Queen of Elementals. Her Spirit-Perches did attract there every wisp, and against all peril, she kept our city luminous: its beauty born of music, born of art, born of bliss. Oh, Land of Spring, watching over the city, we shall send a Spirit-Perch, to move the elementals. We shall send trees to you, to yield water so gentle. Oh, Land of Wind, thy chorus resounding ever-long, present we unto thee: the Spirit-Perches, now, of song. Shelter us among thy stones, and glorify we thy wind, life long. Children, our friends, let us build a Perch erelong, and for all eternity shall we listen to the sweetness of thy song. Protect our city, thou congregation made of sand, and we present thee Perches, spread all across thy land. Control thou heat and stone, and ward away invading hand. The song of the Spirit-Perch, which to the elementals calls, freezes lakes, alters winds, and lights the lonely halls. ...Yet who art now the monarchs? …And who art now the thralls? Our children, our friends, let us build a Perch for all, and all throughout eternity, thou shalt listen to its call.” Summary: These verses speak of the Queen Who Was, Lilith. She is seen as a beloved ruler and the one who helped to create and nurture the elementals of Water, Air, and Fire. It speaks of her controlling the elementals through the power of Spirit-Perches. The use of these Spirit-Perches can be used in many ways, such as the ability to freeze water, change the wind, and provide light. It also warns of a particular danger though... the danger of ultimate power ultimately corrupting. The fact is... Lilith and the Elementalists may have grown very dependant on elementals. They had the ability to rule over the elementals, but in truth, was the use of the elementals beginning to rule over Lilith and the Elementalists themselves, due to the dependence of their convenience? King Amelius, the King Who Is “Amelius the Sage, savior, who doth protect us, the aged. His Graal doth gather life from the elementals. Shall we drink of starlight for eternity? Or return to the soil? Amelius the Sage, enemy, who bears no love for this land. I sing of Amelius the Sage, taken in by elementalkind, disciple for an entire age. Created he that Spirit-Perch, the hallowed-most Graal, to cure the sick, the dying, the frail. ...False the gifts did prove to be, a truth obscured by veil. It is the will of the King that heirs desire the spirits’ might, and so I whisper now to thee, restorest thou the spirits’ light. Young Amelius, inventor for invention’s sake, an interest in life itself soon he did take. Crafted he his dolls, those automated wonders, which yet skulk those halls, tearing threats asunder. Sing of Amelius, King of Hate, tempering the Graal, and tampering with fate. Injury doth now he cause, the elementals doth he snare, whilst Spirit-Friend Lilith art exiled now from there. Of all the generals there, only Cherubim sided with the King, a warlord was he thus, beloved by his underlings. Exiled did they then the true and rightful Queen, sealed did they every passage and did make their home unseen. Young Amelius, a genius, he did modify the Perches, and created he the starry Graal so singular of purpose: It cured the sick, it woke the dead. “Free” can be a costly purchase.” Summary: Amelius was once a disciple of the elementals and Elementalists. He was an inventor who had a great interest in the aspect of life. He was the creator of the elemental golems, the guardians protecting the halls of the temples of Water, Air, and Fire, in Archaeopoeitos Cathedral of the Hidden Forest, the Wind Flute Tower of the Roaring Valley, and the Tectonic Forum Colosseum at the Boiling Sea respectively. He was such a mastermind that he managed to study the Spirit-Perches created by Queen Lilith, the friend of the elementals, to learn how to create the Star Graal, the tool to gain immortality. How did the Graal do this? Amelius modified the Spirit-Perches, perhaps explaining why they're all shut down when we first see them throughout Avalon, thus causing a rise in the Shadow element. All the energy that the Star Graal absorbed provided the ability to give those who bathed in its gift to gain immortality. The biggest problem here is that it is abusing the elementals of Water, Air, and Fire to do so and draining out their life... their light as it were, which perhaps explains why the stars of the sky are extinguished in Avalon's night, which only made the power of the Shadow element swell. It's also noted here that only one general of Lilith turned to Amelius's side. That general was Cherubim, a warlord beloved by his follower. Through his fearsome power, Lilith was removed from power and now, he stands guard for his new liege, King Amelius. The Star Graal “The Graal of the Stars, turning rot into vigor: Plague and poison are all it is, a grave without its digger. The Graal of the Stars, turning wise man into fool: The only promise that it brings is pain intolerable and cruel. Windows of the sky, shining brilliant in the night, of the Graal art thou now, and our lofty sphere less bright. Too painful is the Graal, too powerful in its swell, a diseased man is blessed by it and shortly after is made well. Such a relic surely breeds nothing but a thirst, for who can resist such power and not instead be cursed? How vast is the pain the Graal grants unto the King? Yet for how long shall he thirst for more of such a thing?” Summary: The Star Graal, the instrument which Amelius created to obtain immortality for himself and his followers, is nothing but a false messiah. It actually is the cause of the Shadow element existing, as "plague and poison" can be an indicator of that. Also, the Graal does grant immortality to those blessed by it, but the cost of it was incomprehensible: it has caused the light of the night sky's stars to vanish into its own body, and as a result, the nights of Avalon are completely black as pitch. This is evident with the cutscene of lore that plays upon sleeping at the Inn in Initium for the first time, saying how the town does not have any of the modern conveniences of other countries, particularly street lights. This darkness causes the people to live in fear of it, locking their doors and windows every time the sun goes down. It would also appear that the "lofty sphere" is possibly referring to the moon, which you can see when the camera zooms away from Initium when the game is left idle. Because of the lack of starlight at night, the moon is not reflecting any light, only making the night even worse. As noted above, in the excerpts about King Amelius, this caused the Shadow element to be born and thrive in the night, which perhaps explains the "poor visibility" zones you occasionally encounter in your travels, as well as the Shadow Forcefields you find guarding the three elemental ruins of Water, Air, and Earth. The Graal is the source of all evil that has arisen in Avalon, and the object's very creation has driven King Amelius mad. Yes, he has become an immortal god, as did his loyal subjects, but it's because of the Graal's subjugation of the elementals. Whereas Lilith and the Avalonian Empire became dependent on the elementals in their everyday lives, so too has Amelius and his followers become dependent on the Star Graal... for if the Graal is destroyed, then the elements are free once more, and Amelius and the God-People forfiet their eternal life. The Various Clans and Races of Avalon Humanity “Ones born with legs of two, bearing self upon the land, separate art they of kind, and separate of clan. Evolve and grow, they doth, and art and science create, yet shall they be as us in time, and similar to us in fate?” Summary: This verse simply speaks about humankind, who are different from the Elementalists, stating how they are all part of different clans, but there's a ponderance if they will meet the same fate as the Elementalists. Quail “The Clan of Quail, full of numble, full of song, with eyes to gaze upon what is, and somehow gaze beyond.” Summary: This verse speaks of the Clan of Quail, who seemingly have the ability to gaze into the future? This is very uncertain, as I'm not sure who is actually part of the Quails. Kitties “The Clan of Kitty elegant, wise, refined, intimate they are with every beast of every kind, and somehow can they inspire the other clans to act aligned.” Summary: '''This verse speaks of the Kitty Clan, of which Coco is part of. They seem to be close with the beasts of Avalon and have the ability to make the other Clans of Avalon coexist with each other. '''Dragons “The Clan of Dragon, as old as hill and sea, strongest of the land they are, yet greedy through eternity: hoarding they their treasure, and hoarding they their property. The young are brash, ‘tis so, yet the ancient ones… scholarly.” Summary: The Dragons are a race as old as the world itself, known not just for their power, but their greed as well. They are protective of what is theirs, whether it's material things or their claimed territory. They also seem to grow in wisdom as they age as well, and this is somewhat evident when conversing with the three Dragons you can fight in the later parts of the game. Frogmen “The Clan of Frog, in cheerful song art often found, for in summer art they far afield, and in winter art they underground.” Summary: The race of which Filmia is from, the Frogmen are known to be quite avid singers... something which Filmia seems to love partaking in. It would appear that they travel far from their homelands during the summer, and when winter comes, they flee underground. This perhaps explains why Filmia has lost trace of his kin. Perhaps he or his ancestors travelled far away from Avalon, later losing track of them, which puts Filmia on his personal quest to become reunited with the kin that he has lost? Stickbugs “The Clan of Stickbug, not a worry nor a care, did scarce know how to act, when the strife was in the air. Obey is all they know, soldiering on in any affair.” Summary: The Stickbugs, seen as enemies throughout the game, appear to be a very indecisive race. It would appear that they are very apathetic to everything that happened around them, yet once the Avalonian Civil War happened, they were at a loss of what to do. They seem to be a very obediant race, and will carry out their mission no matter what the cost is. Perhaps Amelius had made contact with the Stickbugs and gave them a simple mission: Protect the three elemental ruins, particularly the ones in the Roaring Valley and the Boiling Sea, so no one could activate them and get closer to discovering the City of the Unseen. ----------------------------------------------------------- Again, all of these summaries are just speculation and interpretation by me, and I'm not sure if they're the entire truth. Regardless though, they should help give more of a background story to the Island of Avalon. While this is a game of exploration, I feel that there is an ultimate plot here: King Amelius has overthrown Queen Lilith back in the ancient past and he subjugated the elementals into his creation, a modified Spirit-Perch he dubbed the Star Graal. This, in turn, extinguished the light of the stars in the night sky and drained the land of the elemental blessings of Water, Air, and Fire, causing the birth of a new Shadow element. Using all this absorbed power, King Amelius has gained the blessing of eternal life and created the Elemental Golems to protect the keys to uncovering his location. Those keys? The elemental spheres within the elemental ruins. The exploration eventually uncovers the Spiritfall and the City of the Unseen at its zenith. It is there that the heroes must destroy the Star Graal and free the imprisoned elementals and the night sky's starlight, thus freeing the land of Avalon from the peril of its blinding darkness caused by the Shadow element that thrives in the unlit, starless nights. More may be added here, as players start to play through the game with the various characters, but a lot of signs point to Meurs possibly being the main hero of the seven, because he is called to Avalon by the singing of the elements. Perhaps its a message to him about the danger in which the elementals have been put under due to the Star Graal's grasp on them.